


Guardian Wolf

by All_My_Characters_Are_Dead



Series: Mages and Familiars [10]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-22
Updated: 2016-02-22
Packaged: 2018-05-22 16:06:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6086115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead/pseuds/All_My_Characters_Are_Dead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yahaba isn't sure what he did to deserve being sent to face a rampaging wolf by himself. Whatever it was, he's sorry already. Or not, considering what he gets out of the encounter.</p><p>Or: Kyoutani Finds a Home</p>
            </blockquote>





	Guardian Wolf

**Author's Note:**

  * For [A_Sirens_Lullaby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Sirens_Lullaby/gifts).



> Since A_Sirens_Lullaby pointed out that there isn't much information about Yahaba and Kyoutani in my AU, here's the story of how they met!

Yahaba Shigeru, earth mage in training with the Aoba Josei Mage Guild, wondered what he had done to make his Guildmaster angry. Because Oikawa punishing him was the only explanation for the situation Yahaba found himself in. After all, Oikawa would only send Yahaba on his own to confront a rampaging potential familiar if Yahaba had done something to irritate his Guildmaster, right? Not that Yahaba could think of anything he might have done that would earn him this particular assignment. And yet, here he was, with orders to find the angry potential who had been terrorizing the neighboring town while Oikawa and Iwaizumi dealt with reassuring the townspeople.

Yahaba had been excited when Oikawa announced he would be coming with the Guildmaster to investigate the reports of a very large, very angry wolf with magical abilities attacking villagers who strayed too close to the forest. That excitement had faded when Oikawa sent him outside the village to locate and subdue the wolf. Still, Yahaba had been fairly calm - he prided himself on not showing when he was stressed or irritated - until he actually drew close to the forest, and the wolf appeared.

Most of the familiars with wolf forms he had encountered were brown or gray or black, and only about as tall as Yahaba's hip. This wolf was nothing like them. The creature's back was as high off the ground as Yahaba's shoulder, and its thick golden fur did nothing to make it seem anything less than _huge and dangerous and holy shit Yahaba was going to die._

The wolf snarled, baring fangs that Yahaba was pretty sure were at least as long as his hand, but he didn't really want to try measuring to be sure. Yahaba briefly considered running for his life, but then he realized that the creature hadn't actually attacked him yet. It was just standing between him and the forest. An idea wormed its way into the back of Yahaba's mind. He took a step to the side, and the wolf mimicked him, staying between him and the forest. Yahaba took a step forward, and the wolf snapped its jaws threateningly.

"You're protecting something," Yahaba guessed. The wolf paused, staring at him with sharp brown eyes, then lunged toward him. Yahaba reached for the earth, calling on the dirt to reach up and wrap around the wolf's legs, yanking him to the ground and trapping him there. The creature snarled, fighting to escape the restraints. Yahaba crouched out of range of the animal's jaws, close enough to study his snarling face. This close, he could see two bands of brown fur wrapping around the back of the creature's head. "I'll let you out if you promise not to attack me again," the earth mage informed the wolf. The wolf didn't seem pleased with this offer, snarling and snapping its jaws, trying to twist in the restraints, testing for weaknesses. "Or I can leave you here and go see if I can find whatever you're protecting." The wolf froze, ears flattening against its head. "Then calm down, and I'll let you out. Deal?" The wolf growled and looked away. "I'll take that as a yes." Yahaba released the restraints, and the wolf stood, shaking dirt from its fur in a decidedly affronted manner. Then it turned and eyed Yahaba as though considering trying to attack again. "Try it and I'll use rock restraints next time, and you really won't like that," the mage threatened, realizing he wasn't as scared of the creature anymore. After all, it was only protecting something, and Yahaba's magic worked to keep the creature contained. The wolf made a noise halfway between a huff and a growl, then turned and walked into the forest. Yahaba followed.

The wolf led him only a short distance into the forest, coming to a stop near a fallen log. Yahaba glanced at the wolf, then the log. He hesitated for only a second, then approached the log and peered into the hollow beneath it. In the shadows under the log, Yahaba found a pair of kittens curled up, fast asleep. The earth mage stared at the little animals for a moment, sensing a faint trace of magic coming from them, then turned to look at the wolf.

"You, an enormous, snarling, village-tormenting beast, are protecting a couple of magical kittens." The wolf growled and stalked toward him, but Yahaba just stared up at the creature. "I can't decide if that's adorable or hilarious." The wolf snarled, and Yahaba frowned at him. "You'll wake them up," he warned. The wolf made a grumbling sound in its throat, but quieted. "Look, you can't keep attacking people, or the next time a mage shows up here, it'll be to kill you. The villagers are probably trying to convince Guildmaster Oikawa to put you down already." The wolf's upper lip curled, and it snorted in disdain. "How about this: I'll take the kittens to the Guild Hall with me, and keep them safe. No one will hurt them, and Aoba Josei has rules against bonding magical animals before they're grown, so they won't even have to be familiars if they don't want to be." The wolf seemed to consider this for a moment, then huffed and nodded. Yahaba turned toward the log and reached beneath it, gently picking the kittens up.

"If anything happens to them, I'm coming after you," an unfamiliar voice growled. Yahaba turned around, kittens in his arms, and found a young man with hair the same shade as the wolf's fur, complete with the bands of brown hair wrapping around his head, mirroring the stripes the wolf had.

"I'm not afraid of you," Yahaba informed the person firmly. "But I don't plan to let anything happen to them. So relax." He turned and headed back the way they had come. The person followed him. At the tree line, Yahaba found Oikawa and Iwaizumi waiting for him.

"So it was you, Mad Dog," Oikawa said with a grin when he saw the person with Yahaba. The earth mage frowned.

"Never mind. Give them back. I don't trust him," the person growled, glaring at Oikawa. Iwaizumi stepped forward, and the person ducked his head in a wolflike gesture of respect.

"Whatever deal you have with Yahaba, we'll honor," Iwaizumi said. "As long as you stop causing trouble for the villagers."

"He was just protecting these kittens," Yahaba explained, holding the little animals out so Oikawa and Iwaizumi could see. The Guildmaster practically cooed.

"That's so sweet, Mad Dog!" he exclaimed.

"Please tell me that's not your name," Yahaba sighed, glancing at the person beside him.

"It's not," was the only response he gave. Yahaba sighed again.

"Can we go now?" the earth mage asked.

"Of course!" Oikawa replied. "Unless Mad Dog wants to come with us?"

"Why would I want to do that?" he snarled, glaring at Oikawa until Iwaizumi made a disapproving sound.

"Because you and our little Yahaba seem to be getting along so well!" Oikawa explained. Yahaba resisted the urge to gape at his Guildmaster. "You'd be a great asset to the Guild!"

"No. Leave me alone," he growled. Then he returned to wolf shape and stormed off into the forest, leaving Yahaba holding the kittens and not entirely sure why Oikawa had invited the wolf to come with them.

Months passed, and Yahaba split his time between taking care of the magical kittens - one of them seemed to have an affinity for shadows, and kept vanishing into them, which was very stressful for the poor earth mage - and working to hone his magical abilities. He didn't have a familiar yet, but he had enough control over his powers to be made a full member of the Guild. He considered trying to summon a familiar, or maybe asking one of the little magical cats he was taking care of to be his familiar once they were fully grown.

The kittens were nearly grown when Yahaba's morning magic practice was interrupted by a messenger informing him that there was someone waiting for him in his quarters. Yahaba hid his curiosity and made his way to his room. When he opened the door, he found the kittens happily climbing the enormous sides of a huge golden wolf, who was taking up at least half the room.

"What are you doing here?" Yahaba asked, closing the door behind him and easing his way to the wolf's side to pluck the kittens off. Once the felines weren't climbing him anymore, the wolf shrank to his human form.

"The villagers got tired of me lurking around," he answered. "Even though I didn't attack any of them. They tried to hunt me, so I came to complain to the Guild. Your Guildmaster said if I should stay here while he decides what to do."

"The Guildmaster told you to stay in my room?" Yahaba asked, raising an eyebrow and letting the shadow kitten climb onto his head.

"No. I wanted to check on the kittens, make sure you held up your end of the deal," he growled. Yahaba shrugged, and the kitten not on his head decided to jump to the bed.

"They're a handful, but they're almost grown," the earth mage said. "Oh, I didn't get your name when we met before."

"It's Kyoutani," the visitor told him. His visitor seemed like he was about to say something, but the door opened, and an air mage stuck his head inside. Yahaba recognized him as Kindaichi, one of the people Oikawa was grooming to become a ranking mage. Kyoutani growled, and Kindaichi flinched. 

"The Guildmaster wants to see you two," Kindaichi announced, trying to keep fear out of his voice even as his eyes widened. Yahaba glanced at his visitor, who looked distinctly displeased by the summons. Still, once Yahaba took the shadow kitten off his head and set the little animal on the bed, the wolf-turned-human followed willingly enough. As they walked, mages and familiars alike shied away from the angry aura that formed around Kyoutani, growing stronger with each step. Kindaichi's pace picked up, and Yahaba sighed.

"Ah, there you are, Mad Dog!" Oikawa exclaimed when they reached the Guildmaster's office. "I have a solution for your problem!" Kyoutani didn't say anything, just studied Oikawa solemnly. "There's not much I can do to stop the villagers from feeling threatened by you and acting out against you, at least not when you're just a potential familiar living in the forest. But if you become a familiar to a mage here at Aoba Josei, it'll get you away from all those angry villagers!"

"This again? I don't want to be one of your minions," Kyoutani growled. Oikawa tutted disapprovingly.

"With your history, I thought you'd be happy to be offered a place with a group like my Guild," the Guildmaster complained. Yahaba tilted his head, and Oikawa continued, "Since you left the mountains because the other guardian spirits were too incompetent and you tried to fight them, you've been alone. We've had to fight you several times because your temper got the best of you, even before Yahaba helped you with the kittens."

"Guildmaster," Yahaba spoke up. "If he doesn't want to be here, then you should stop trying to convince him to stay. I can go to the village and convince them not to hunt him anymore." Kyoutani glanced at the earth mage, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Even if he did want to stay, most of the people here are scared of him. You'd have to find a mage who's not afraid of him to bond with him, and-"

"But I already have a mage who's not afraid of him," Oikawa interrupted, grinning. Yahaba blinked, then glanced at Kyoutani. "You've been considering taking on a familiar for a while, haven't you, Yahaba?"

"I'll just find a new section of the forest," Kyoutani growled. "I don't want to be at anyone's beck and call." He turned and stalked out of the room, and Yahaba hesitated, glancing at Oikawa, then sighed and hurried after the wolf.

"Kyoutani!" Yahaba called. He turned and glared at the earth mage, who didn't flinch. "When the kittens are fully grown, I'm going to take them to the forest. You should be there to help them adjust and find a home." Kyoutani blinked.

"You're not going to try to convince me to be your pet or something so Oikawa gets what he wants?" he asked. Yahaba frowned.

"First of all, familiars aren't pets. They're partners, friends. They're members of the Guild just as much as the mages they're bonded to. Second of all, if I choose a familiar, it'll be someone who wants to be around me and work with me, not someone Oikawa wants to make use of," the earth mage said firmly. "The kittens will be ready in two weeks. I'll take them to the fallen log. Come if you want." Then Yahaba turned and headed back to his room, and Kyoutani stared after him until an unfortunate mage drifted to close to him, and Kyoutani growled, sending the mage running.

Two weeks passed, and Kyoutani wasn't at the log when Yahaba brought the kittens. The earth mage didn't want to admit it, but he was a little disappointed. He'd thought a spirit as fierce as Kyoutani would want to watch over the young magical cats while they got used to their new home. Once the two were settled, Yahaba started back toward the Guild Hall, wondering if he'd misjudged Kyoutani.

"Hey." Yahaba looked up and found Kyoutani standing in his way, arms crossed. "They settled okay?" Yahaba nodded, studying him. "Good."

"I thought you'd be there," Yahaba said. Kyoutani shrugged.

"Wouldn't be fair to them if I ended up not staying in the forest," he explained. Yahaba opened his mouth to ask why Kyoutani wouldn't stay in the forest, but he was cut off. "I've been thinking these last two weeks. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be a familiar." Yahaba blinked, then tilted his head.

"So you want to come back to the Guild Hall and meet some of the mages, find one you like?" he asked.

"I already have someone in mind," Kyoutani replied, his perpetual scowl wavering with something that could have been nervousness. "If you'll accept me." Yahaba's eyes widened.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. You're not scared of me, you're strong, and you did hold up your end of the deal," Kyoutani replied. "So I, Kyoutani, a guardian spirit, offer myself as your familiar." Yahaba took a moment to process this, then decided, why not? His Guildmaster already approved, and Kyoutani was strong, protective, and loyal, despite his angry demeanor.

"I, Yahaba Shigeru, choose the guardian spirit Kyoutani as my familiar," he said, closing the short distance between them and lifting his hand to Kyoutani's chest, channeling his magic carefully to form the connection. "As a symbol of our bond, I name you Kentarou," he finished as the bond settled over them.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so about the whole guardian spirit thing. Basically, Kyoutani doesn't have an elemental affiliation, but he isn't a demon either. He exists to protect things, though he's very angry while he's doing that, which led to conflicts with the others. He was part of a group in the mountains, but moved to the forest after getting into one too many fights about how incompetent he found the other guardians.


End file.
